What we eat has a big impact on our body and overall health. Many believe eating healthy requires buying expensive food from elite grocery stores. In truth, you can eat healthy food even on a tight budget by choosing the right diet plan.
5 Tips for Eating a Healthy Diet on Your Budget
1. Have a Meal Plan
Having a precise meal plan will help you save some bucks at the grocery store. Look for what is currently on sale when planning your meals for the week. You can also look for coupons and rebates on apps like Ibotta and Fetch Reward when meal planning.
It’s also cheaper to buy in bulk. Stock up on healthy foods that you regularly cook with, like brown rice, dried beans and pasta.
2. Eat Out Sparingly
Preparing your food at home will benefit you in both ways. It is cheaper than restaurants and is healthier.
When you prepare food yourself, you know the exact ingredients going into your meal. This ensures you do not intake any unhealthy substances. Restaurants often use a lot more sodium and oil than our own cooking.
It will also help you stick to your diet plan, and you can control the number of proteins, carbs, and other nutrients in your meal.
3. Get Whole Grains and Superfoods
Most processed and pre-made foods are sold at a higher price. Protein bars, pre-made smoothies and just add water quick meals have an expensive price tag compared to the make it yourself alternatives.
FeelGood™ superfood powders make it easy to get more nutrients at an affordable price. These wholesome powders can be used to prepare wellness shots for the week. They are also great for enhancing your everyday dishes, like overnight oats and soup.
Whole grains, like oats and brown rice, are also cheaper than other processed cereals. The less processed cereals are cheaper and sold in large quantities.
4. Consume Other Proteins Instead of Meat
Proteins are essential components of a healthy diet that can help you to build muscle. But fresh meat or fish can stretch your budget significantly. That is why we recommend eating other forms of protein.
There are many affordable plant-based protein options. You can replace meat with seiten, lentils, beans or tofu. You could also add protein-packed superfoods like spirulina to your diet.
Reducing meat consumption may also improve your health. Doctors today have found diets with a lot red meat may cause various conditions, like cardiovascular diseases.*
5. Purchase Frozen Vegetables & Fruits
Most vegetables and fruits are seasonal and only available for a short period every year. Although they can be found at the store off-season, the price is significantly higher and the taste is not the same.
Frozen produce is sold at a cheaper price, and is just as nutritious as fresh fruits and vegetables. The frozen products are great for cooking, making shakes and smoothies, and exotic cake toppings.
Moreover, you can only cook the amount of food that you want to eat and store the rest safely in a refrigerator. That is not possible for fresh vegetables and fruits.
What are some of your tips for eating healthy on a budget? Let us know in the comment section below!